Power supply assembly

ABSTRACT

A power supply assembly includes a housing having side walls, end walls, and a bottom wall defining a rectangular box with an interior space and an open top. A first dividing wall and a second dividing wall are positioned in the interior space of the housing which divides the interior space into first, second, and third compartments. 
     A method of manufacturing a power supply with the above power supply assembly includes installing a printed circuit board in the second compartment and positioning the first wire set to terminate in the first compartment and the second wire set to terminate in the third compartment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 10/959,648filed on Oct. 7, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,154,755 and claims priorityto U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/561,209 dated Apr. 12,2004, which are incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to power supply assemblies, and morespecifically, a weather-resistant power supply assembly for outdoor use.

BACKGROUND

Power supplies are sometimes used in outdoor environments where they canbe exposed to damage from weather conditions, such as, for example, rainand high humidity. Some power supplies are resistant to weather damageby using a sealed outer housing with wires extending through watertightports to make external wiring connections. However, the external wiringconnections remain exposed to harsh conditions, which can causedeterioration of the wiring connections. In addition, the housing mayneed to be disassembled in the field in order to adjust certainoperating characteristics thereby exposing the electrical components topotential damage.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a water-tight power supply assembly thatprotects AC and DC wiring connections in separate compartments andprovides easy access to the wiring and allows operating adjustmentswhile protecting the active electrical components from damage.

In one general aspect, a power supply assembly includes a housing havingside walls, end walls, and a bottom wall defining a rectangular box withan interior space and an open top. A first dividing wall and a seconddividing wall are positioned in the interior space of the housing whichdivide the interior space into first, second, and third compartments.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the first dividing wall may have a first port providing accessbetween the first compartment and the second compartment and the seconddividing wall may have a second port between the second compartment andthe third compartment.

A printed circuit board may be installed in the second compartment andthe printed circuit board may have alternating current wires and directcurrent wires extending from opposing ends. In this implementation, thealternating current wires extend through the first port into the firstcompartment and the direct current wires extend through the second portinto the third compartment.

An inner lid may be attached to the first dividing wall and the seconddividing wall thereby enclosing the second compartment. In oneimplementation, the first and second dividing wall have cut-out areasand the inner lid has a pair of matching protrusions or flangesextending partially into the cutout areas to define a first port betweenthe first and second compartments and a second port between the secondand third compartments. Electrical features of the power supply may beadjusted by accessing the printed circuit board through current andvoltage adjustment ports in the inner lid.

In another implementation, an outer lid covers the open top of thehousing thereby enclosing the first, second, and third compartments. Ina further implementation, the first compartment is used as analternating current wiring connection compartment, the secondcompartment is used as a printed circuit board compartment, and thethird compartment is used as a direct current wiring compartment. Aprinted circuit board installed in the printed circuit board compartmentmay have a U-shaped heat sink which fastens to the housing and/or theprinted circuit board may have alternating current wiring connectionsextending into the alternating current wiring compartment and directcurrent wiring connections extending into the direct current wiringcompartment. Each end wall and side wall of the housing may have portsconfigured to receive electrical conduit.

In another general aspect, a method of manufacturing a power supply thathas a housing with a first, a second, and a third compartment, an innerlid, an outer cover, and a printed circuit board having a first wire setand a second wire set at opposing ends, includes installing the printedcircuit board PCB in the second compartment and positioning the firstwire set to terminate in the first compartment and the second wire setto terminate in the third compartment.

The method may include one or more of the features outlined above andone or more of the following features. For example, the method mayinclude routing the first wire set through a first opening between thefirst compartment and the second compartment and routing the second wireset through a second opening between the second compartment and thethird compartment.

In another implementation, the method includes enclosing the secondcompartment with the inner lid, the inner lid having protrusions thatextend partly into the first opening to define a first port and partlyinto the second opening to define a second port. In furtherimplementations, the method includes inserting grommets in the firstopening and the second opening, attaching the outer cover to thehousing, and/or bonding a gasket to the outer cover.

In another general aspect, a method of installing a power supply havinga housing with an interior space divided into an alternating currentwiring compartment, a printed circuit board wiring compartment, and adirect current wiring compartment, an inner lid enclosing the printedcircuit board compartment and an outer cover enclosing the interiorspace, includes connecting alternating current wires in the alternatingcurrent wiring compartment to an alternating current power source,connecting direct current wires in the direct current wiring compartmentto a direct current receiving load, and attaching the outer cover.

The method may include features outline above or may also include one ormore of the following features. For example, the method may includeremoving the outer cover thereby exposing the alternating current wiringcompartment and the direct current wiring compartment. The method mayalso include inserting a tool through a port in the inner lid to accessa power supply control, and manipulating the power supply control to setan operating characteristic of the power supply.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power supply housing.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the power supply housing.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the power supply housing.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an insert.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are top and side views of an inner lid.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are side and top views of an outer cover.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a power supply assembly without electricalcomponents.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are exploded views of the power supply assembly with theelectrical components.

Reference numerals in the drawings correspond to numbers in the DetailedDescription for ease of reference.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a power supply housing 10 is a generallyrectangular box that includes end walls 15, side walls 20, and a bottomwall 25. An open top 28 exposes the interior space of the housing 10.Apertures 30 are circular openings positioned approximately in thecenter of each of the side walls 20.

Referring to FIG. 3, mounting brackets 35 attach to the bottom wall 25of the housing 10 such that a portion of the mounting brackets 35 extendbeyond the side walls 20. The mounting brackets 35 are flat andgenerally rectangular with screw recesses 40 configured to receivescrews that mount the housing 10 to an exterior surface.

Referring again to FIG. 1, inserts 45 are positioned in the interiorspace of the housing 10. Referring to FIG. 4, each insert includes abase 50, a dividing wall 55, and a mounting wall 60. The base 50 and themounting wall 60 are at opposing ends of the dividing wall 55 and aregenerally perpendicular to the dividing wall 55. As shown, the insert 45includes a cut-away area 65 through the center of the mounting wall 60and extending a portion of the way down into the dividing wall 55. Theedge 70 of the cut-away area 65 makes a straight line terminating in arounded portion 75 at the approximate center of the dividing wall 55.The mounting wall 60 includes screw channels 80 that extend below thebottom edge of the mounting wall 60. In another implementation, circularports (see FIGS. 8A and 8B) may replace the cut-away areas in thedividing walls 55.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the base 50 of each insert 45 is mounted tothe bottom wall 25 and side walls 20 of the housing 10 with the mountingwall 60 positioned just beneath the open top 28 such that the interiorspace of the housing is separated into alternating current (AC) wiring,printed circuit board (PCB), and direct current (DC) wiring compartments85, 90, 95. Attachment of the inserts 45 to the housing 10 may beaccomplished by, for example, welding or other attachment or bondingmethods.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a generally rectangular inner lid 100attaches to the mounting walls 60 of the inserts 45 via screw holes 105.Flanges 110 at opposing ends of the inner lid 100 are perpendicular tothe rectangular plane of the inner lid 100. As shown, the flanges 110are protrusions extending from opposing ends. The flanges 110 may beformed by making parallel cuts in opposing ends of the inner lid 100 andbending the cut portions to a perpendicular position or by attaching theflanges 110 to the inner lid 100. Each flange 110 has a crescent shapeor semi-circular portion 115 at the end farthest from the surface of theinner lid 100.

Installing the inner lid 100 on the housing 10 encloses the PCBcompartment 90. The flanges 110 are positioned in the cut-away area 65of the inserts 45 thereby forming a port with straight sides andsemicircular top and bottom portions. As mentioned above, ports in thedividing wall may replace the cut-away areas 65, in which case, theinner lid 100 is a flat plate without the flanges 110. In eitherimplementation, grommets are installed in the ports or in the cut-outareas 65 to protect wiring from chafing and to provide strain relief forwiring running between the PCB compartment 90 and the outer DC and ACwiring compartments 85, 95.

Referring to FIG. 6A and 6B, a generally rectangular outer cover 120encloses the interior space of the housing 10. The outer cover has a top125 with screw holes 130 and a lip 135. Screws (not shown) are insertedin the screw holes 130 to attach the outer cover 120 through screw holes138 in the inner lid 100 (see FIGS. 5A and 5B) to the screw channels 80in the mounting walls 60 of the housing 10. The top 125 is slightlylarger that the exterior of the housing 10 such that the lip slides 135over a portion of the end walls 15 and side walls 20. A series ofnotches 139 on the outer cover 120 provide proper alignment of the outercover 120 on the housing 10 and provide additional rigidity to the outercover 120.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the power supply assembly 5 withoutelectrical components. The inner lid 100 attaches to the mounting walls160. Next, the outer cover 120, which includes a gasket 140 bonded tothe under-side, is installed onto the housing 10. The gasket 140 isslightly larger than the length and width of the housing 10. Thus,compression of the gasket 140 between the outer cover 120 and thehousing 10 forms a watertight seal.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a method of assembling the power supplyassembly 5. A U-shaped heat sink 145 and PCB 150 are attached tomounting bosses 155 on the bottom wall 25. AC wires 160 from the PCB 150are passed through a port 165 in the dividing wall 55 and into the ACwiring compartment 85. DC wires 170 from the PCB 150 are passed througha port 165 in the other dividing wall 55 and into the DC wiringcompartment 95. Grommets are installed in the ports 165 to protect andprovide strain relief for any wiring running between the AC and DCwiring compartments 85, 95 and the PCB compartment 90.

The inner lid 100 is attached to the mounting walls 160 therebyenclosing the PCB 150 in the PCB compartment 90. Where the dividingwalls 55 include cut-away areas 65 as shown in FIG. 1, the AC and DCwires 160, 170 are self-fed into respective AC and DC wiringcompartments 85, 95 as the PCB 150 is lowered into the housing 10. Theflanges 110 on the inner lid 100 are then used to partly enclose thecut-away areas 65 when the inner lid 100 is installed thereby formingopenings similar to the ports 165 described above. Grommets are theninstalled in the openings. The gasket 140 is adhered to the under-sideof the outer cover 120 and the outer cover 120 is tightened down ontothe housing 10.

Field installation of the power supply assembly 5 is straight-forward.The technician mounts the power supply assembly 5 to a desired surfaceusing screws that are inserted in the recesses 40 on the housing 10. Thetechnician removes the outer cover 120 to expose the AC and DC wiringcompartments 85, 95 while the inner lid 100 remains in place to protectthe PCB 150.

The technician passes AC source wires (not shown) through the aperture30 and into the AC wiring compartment 85 and wires from the DC load (notshown) through the other aperture 30 and into the DC wiring compartment95. The AC wiring 160 is then connected to the AC source wires and theDC wiring is connected to the DC load wires. Water-tight fittings arethen installed in the apertures 30 and/or electrical conduits (notshown) are attached to the apertures 30 to seal the AC and DC wireconnections from outside elements.

The technician inserts a tool through access holes 175 to make currentand/or voltage adjustments to the power supply output. Plastic or rubberplugs are then installed in the access holes. When the wiring and otheradjustments are complete, the technician attaches the outer cover 120(with gasket 140) to the housing 10.

Since certain changes may be made in the above apparatus withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention herein involved, it isintended that all matter contained in the above description or shown inthe accompanying drawing shall be interpreted in an illustrative and notin a limiting sense. Accordingly, other implementations are within thescope of the following claims.

1. A power supply assembly, comprising: a housing having a bottom wallattached to side walls and end walls defining a generally rectangularbox with an interior space and an open top; a first dividing wall and asecond dividing wall positioned in the interior space of the housing anddividing the interior space into a first compartment, a secondcompartment, and a third compartment; a printed circuit board positionedin the second compartment of the housing; an inner lid attached to thefirst dividing wall and the second dividing wall thereby enclosing thesecond compartment; and wherein the inner lid comprises at least oneadjustment port to adjust an operating characteristic of the printedcircuit board.
 2. The power supply assembly of claim 1, wherein: thefirst dividing wall comprises a first port between the first compartmentand the second compartment; and the second dividing wall comprises asecond port between the second compartment and the third compartment. 3.The power supply assembly of claim 2, wherein: the printed circuit boardincludes alternating current wires and direct current wires at opposingends; wherein the alternating current wires extend through the firstport into the first compartment and the direct current wires extendthrough the second port into the third compartment.
 4. The power supplyassembly of claim 1, wherein: the first dividing wall and the seconddividing wall comprise cut-out areas; and the inner lid comprises a pairof protrusions partially extending into the cutout areas to define afirst port between the first compartment and the second compartment anda second port between the second compartment and the third compartment.5. The power supply assembly of claim 1, further comprising: wherein theat least one adjustment port of the inner lid comprises a currentadjustment port and a voltage adjustment port.
 6. The power supplyassembly of claim 1, further comprising: an outer lid covering the opentop of the housing thereby enclosing the first compartment, the secondcompartment, and the third compartment.
 7. The power supply assembly ofclaim 1, wherein: the first compartment comprises an alternating currentwiring compartment; the second compartment comprises a printed circuitboard compartment; and the third compartment comprises a direct currentwiring compartment.
 8. The power supply assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising: a U-shaped heat sink positioned in the second compartment ofthe housing.
 9. The power supply assembly of claim 1, wherein: theprinted circuit board includes alternating current wiring extending intothe first compartment and direct current wiring extending into the thirdcompartment.
 10. The power supply assembly of claim 1, wherein each endwall comprises a port configured to receive a conduit.
 11. The powersupply assembly of claim 1, wherein the side walls each comprise anexternal connection port into the first compartment and the thirdcompartment, each external connection port configured to receive aconduit.
 12. A method of adjusting an operating characteristic of apower supply having a housing with an interior space divided into atleast one wiring compartment, a printed circuit board compartment, aninner lid enclosing the printed circuit board compartment and an outercover enclosing the interior space, the method comprising: removing theouter cover thereby exposing the at least one wiring compartment;inserting a tool through a port in the inner lid to access a powersupply control; and manipulating the power supply control to set anoperating characteristic of the power supply wherein the printed circuitboard compartment remains enclosed by the inner lid.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: attaching the outer cover to enclose theinterior space.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:connecting alternating current wires in the least one wiring compartmentto an alternating current power source; and attaching the outer cover.15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: connecting directcurrent wires in the least one wiring compartment to a direct currentreceiving load; and attaching the outer cover.